Periodic updates on developments in disability law and related fields.

Saturday, September 08, 2012

Powerful Op-Ed on Seclusion

Tomorrow's New York Times contains this op-ed on seclusion of kids with disabilities in public schools. It's a must-read. Here's how it begins:

In my public school 40 years ago, teachers didn’t lay their hands on students for bad behavior. They sent them to the principal’s office. But in today’s often overcrowded and underfunded schools, where one in eight students receive help for special learning needs, the use of physical restraints and seclusion rooms has become a common way to maintain order.

It’s a dangerous development, as I know from my daughter’s experience. At the age of 5, she was kept in a seclusion room for up to an hour at a time over the course of three months, until we discovered what was happening. The trauma was severe.